This invention relates to a device for accurately seating bullets in cartridges during a reloading process.
In the reloading of ammunition, it is known to provide a press frame which has a cartridge carrying plunger operable to shift a cartridge longitudinally into selected dies for properly forming the mouth or neck of the cartridge, for seating and pressing a bullet into the mouth of the cartridge, and possibly a final die for crimping the neck of the cartridge about the bullet.
Prior bullet seating dies have included a tubular member with a bore extending therethrough adapted to receive an open mouth cartridge which is shifted longitudinally into one end of the bore. A bullet seating member within the tube is positioned in such a manner that a bullet can be interposed between the bullet seating member and the mouth of a cartridge entering the bore. As the cartridge is pressed into the bore toward the bullet seating member the bullet will be pressed a selected depth into the mouth of the cartridge.
In the past, one form of bullet seating die has used adjustment screws for varying the position of the bullet seating member in the tubular bore. Such adjustment, however, was generally by trial and error, in that when it was desired to load a type of ammunition, the user by trial and error determined the setting of the bullet seating member relative to the bore to obtain the desired depth setting of the bullet. On such there was nothing to guide the user for subsequent settings.
More recently, micrometer screws have been attached to the bullet seating member. Two such devices are illustrated in U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,600,488 and 3,580,127 to Crump and Lee, respectively. Although these include micrometer screws, the bullet seating member is mounted for shifting on a separate screw stem longitudinally of the device so that the micrometer screw does not provide a constant direct reading of the position of the bullet seating head relative to the overall die. Explaining further, since the bullet seating head is shiftable relative to the micrometer screw by turning of the screw stem in such prior devices, the user can never be assured of the specific position of the bullet seating head relative to the overall die by merely observing the micrometer reading.
Further, prior art devices have not provided means for positively sensing intervals of shifting of the micrometer screw and its associated bullet seating head within the bore, nor have they provided means for releasably securing the micrometer screw and bullet seating member when placed in a selected seating position. A further disadvantage of prior art devices has been the lack of manually and audibly sensed indicia of repositioning intervals for the bullet seating member as it is shifted longitudinally in the die.
A general object of the present invention is to provide a novel bullet seating die for use in ammunition reloading which overcomes the disadvantages of previous devices as noted above.
A further object is to provide a novel bullet seating die in which a micrometer screw is attached to the bullet seating member in such a manner that the user can be assured that the reading on the indicia of the micrometer screw provides a valid indication of the relative position of the bullet seating member relative to the die body.
Yet another object is to provide a novel bullet seating die in which a micrometer screw is operatively attached to a bullet seating member and means is provided for producing a manually and audibly sensed indication of selected intervals of adjustment of the bullet seating member within the die.
More specifically, an object is to provide such a novel bullet seating die in which a plurality of grooves are provided within the device spaced radially about the bore in the body of the device, and a spring biased member is positioned to engage such grooves sequentially as the micrometer screw is operated to shift the bullet seating member longitudinally of the device, thus to provide both manually and audibly sensed (click stop) indications of the positioning of the device. Further, such grooves and spring-biased member provide a releasable holding of the adjustable elements within the device, whereby vibrations or other interferences will not produce misadjustment of the device.
A still further object is to provide such a novel bullet seating die in which each click stop indicates a selected interval of movement of the bullet seating member within the device, which interval may be on the order of 0.001 inch.